The worldwide network of computers commonly referred to as the “Internet” has seen explosive growth in the last several years. The Internet is expected to evolve with the adaptation of new forms of interactive technology applied to the basic Internet infrastructure which consists of many elements, not the least of which are the Web browser and Web page.
Groups of Web pages, forming Web sites, are evolving to a high level of sophistication at an staggering rate. Small to large corporations are taking advantage of this trend, and electronic commerce (E-Commerce), that is, business transactions taking place over the Internet is advancing at a rapid pace. It is highly desirable for those who would like to carry out commerce on the Internet to have a very sophisticated Web site that can perform numerous functions and services to an increasingly sophisticated class of Web site visitors. Such Web sites may desirably include such information services as searchable databases for price, stock, shipping, etc.; product information; competitive comparisons, and so forth.
In order for such information services to be successfully communicated to potential customers, it is imperative to garner the interest of large numbers of Internet users. As with more traditional forms of commerce, advertising plays an important role in attracting customers. Accordingly, what is needed is economical, yet effective, advertising and publicity in order to attract the interest of Internet users.
A recent advance in Web site technology is the addition of streaming media, as well as other more sophisticated functional enhancements, to Web sites. The concept of streaming media is defined broadly as audio and video being delivered to a Web site visitor in packets over the Internet. The streaming media can be delivered so quickly that audio sounds and/or graphic images can be heard and seen almost immediately, comparable in quality to commercial, over-the-air radio or television. Some examples of streaming media include banners, informational feeds using a “marquee”, audio based commercials, and so forth.
Unfortunately, it is expensive to add such enhancements to Web sites. Bandwidth costs for delivering streaming media may be prohibitively expensive. In addition, there are problems associated with the complexity of producing the streaming media that is to be “broadcast” over the Web sites, and licensing of the streaming media if it is proprietary.
A typical example of adding function to a Web site is the addition of an “affiliate” program. An affiliate program, provided by a third party may be desired by the Web site developer to add functionality to their Web site for the purpose of enhancing the appeal of the site or for revenue sharing in which they will receive a percentage of sales. In order to obtain such an affiliate program, the Web site developer may be required to register with the supplier of the affiliate program in order to obtain and execute the affiliate program in connection with his/her Web site. Unfortunately, such a registration process typically requires the Web site developer to fill out lengthy on-line electronic forms. Such forms may be cumbersome and so frustrating, that filling out such forms leads to their abandonment on the part of the Web site developer. If the Web site developer successfully manages to register, the Web site developer must then wait for the implementing code for the affiliate program to be e-mailed to him/her. Once the Web site developer receives the implementing code, the code is then copied and pasted onto the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) for the Web site where desired.
Unfortunately, universal capability with the Web browsers that subsequently access the Web site with the enhanced function provided by the affiliate program is limited. That is, even though a Web site developer has successfully added the implementing code for the affiliate program, all Web browsers accessing the Web site may not be able to interpret the affiliate program and the Web site visitor may not be able to experience the added function.